Improving Medication Adherence Through Graphically Enhanced Interventions in Acute Coronary Syndromes

Study Summary

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death in the United States. Most people who die from CHD die of a heart attack. Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a term that includes mild heart attacks, as well as other episodes of chest pain that may serve as a warning sign for an upcoming heart attack. There are many medicines that can help prevent and treat ACS. However, at least 25% of patients don't take their medications as prescribed. When patients don't take their medications, we say they are noncompliant or nonadherent with the treatment. The period following hospital discharge is a vulnerable time for many patients. Patients are often confused about what to do when they return home from the hospital. Many patients don't take their medications correctly, or they don't take them at all. Patients with poor literacy skills have more trouble than others, because it is harder for them to follow written instructions. Overall, about half of the adults in the U.S. have poor literacy skills. It is important to develop ways to help these adults manage their health better. The purposes of this research project are 1) to learn more about the relationship between low literacy and medication adherence after hospital discharge, and 2) to test a strategy designed to help patients take their medicines more regularly. We will recruit consenting patients hospitalized with ACS. We will measure their literacy skills, ask questions about how they take their medicines, and measure other related factors like social support and self-efficacy. Patients will then be assigned to 1 of 2 groups. One group will receive only usual care at hospital discharge, which usually includes the nurse and physician briefly reviewing the medication prescriptions. The other group will receive an illustrated daily medication schedule and special, tailored counseling from a pharmacist at their time of discharge. About 1 week after patients leave the hospital we will contact them by phone to ask t

Primary Outcome

Validated self-report measure of medication adherence. Possible range 12-48, with lower values indicating better adherence.

Interventions

• BEHAVIORAL Health literacy intervention